If you’re wondering what to do with persimmons because your tree is overflowing, try this sweet persimmon salad recipe topped with candied hazelnuts, coconut chips and dressing with a pomegranate molasses dressing.
Add hazelnuts into a small saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain. Use a towel to rub off the skin or rub/peel them with your hands. Placed the peeled hazelnuts onto a sheet pan lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C or 350°F.
Remove hazelnuts and add to a mixture of 4 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of water. Pour mixture back onto the sheet pan and roast for a further 20 minutes until caramelised.
Peel the persimmon. Cut it in half and then cut into thin wedges. Set aside.
Cut the apple into thin slices. Place in salted water to stop the apple from browning. When ready to serve, wash the apples to remove the saltiness and dry on a paper towel.
Dressing
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses until well combined.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add the persimmons, mixed salad leaves, apple, coconut flakes and candied hazelnuts.
Pour in dressing and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the salad until evenly coated.
Serve immediately.
Notes
If you’re not a hazelnut fan, you can pretty much candy any nut of your choosing.
Consume the nut element raw to make this a low lectin salad recipe.
For a nut free recipe, you can eliminate the hazelnuts and substitute with dried fruit such as cranberries, apricots or blueberries, or crunchy seeds such as pepitas or sunflower seeds.
You can toast the coconut chips if you’re after extra texture, although the persimmon and apple provide enough of a crunch element.
If you don’t have pomegranate molasses handy, you can use balsamic glaze for the salad dressing recipe.
Persimmons pair well with numerous ingredients but none as popular as goat cheese. You can sprinkle some on top if you want to add a creamy element.